Process and system for separation and recovery of perfluorocompound gases

Abstract

Processes and systems to recover at least one perfluorocompound gas from a gas mixture are provided. In one embodiment the inventive process comprises the steps of a) providing a gas mixture comprising at least one perfluorocompound gas and at least one carrier gas, the gas mixture being at a predetermined pressure; b) providing at least one glassy polymer membrane having a feed side and a permeate side; c) contacting the feed side of the at least one membrane with the gas mixture; d) withdrawing from the feed side of the membrane as a non-permeate stream at a pressure which is substantially equal to the predetermined pressure a concentrated gas mixture comprising essentially the at least one perfluorocompound gas; and e) withdrawing from the permeate side of the membrane as a permeate stream a depleted gas mixture comprising essentially the at least one carrier gas.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A process for the separation of perfluorocompound gases from a gas mixture, said process comprising the step of: 
       contacting a gas mixture comprising at least one carrier gas and at least one perfluorocompound gas selected from the group consisting of CF 4 , C 2 F 6 , C 3 F 8 , C 4 F 10 , and NF 3  with a membrane which permeates said at least one carrier gas faster than said at least one perfluorocompound gas.  
     
     
       2. The process according to claim  1 , wherein said at least one carrier gas is air, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, helium, or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       3. The process according to claim  1 , wherein said membrane is a glassy polymeric membrane. 
     
     
       4. The process according to claim  1 , wherein said at least one perfluorocompound gas is CF 4 . 
     
     
       5. The process according to claim  1 , wherein said at least one perfluorocompound gas is C 2 F 6 . 
     
     
       6. The process according to claim  1 , wherein said at least one perfluorocompound gas is C 3 F 8 . 
     
     
       7. The process according to claim  1 , wherein said at least one perfluorocompound gas is C 4 F 10 . 
     
     
       8. The process according to claim  1 , wherein said at least one perfluorocompound gas is NF 3 .